God and Greater Britain: Religion and National Life in Britain and Ireland, 1843-1945

by John Wolffe

Concern and debate over the role of religion in the make up of the United Kingdom is a contemporaneously relevant as it was in the nineteenth century. God and Greater Britain is a survey of the contribution of religion to society, politics, culture and national self-understanding in Britain and Ireland at a pivotal period in their historical development. It derives from primary research as well as from an extensive synthesis of the secondary literature. John Wolffe's timely and stimulating appraisal of the centrality of religion is well illustrated with specific episodes and uniquely places religion in a firm historical perspective.

340 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 1994

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a wide-ranging, carefully researched survey of how religion shaped politics, culture, and national identities across the British Isles during a long century of imperial expansion and crisis. It draws on a substantial body of primary research and a synthesis of secondary literature. Wolffe moves beyond institutional church history, as found in some other works I've read, and explores "unofficial" religion, the impact of evangelicalism and Catholic revival, and the ways religious belief informed popular understandings of nationhood in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland

One surprise, and difference her from other works, is his sensitive use of novels and other literary sources as primary sources: windows onto shifting religious mentalities. Particularly strong are his treatments of moments of national crisis where he demonstrates how heightened religiosity and religious nationalism intersected.

As a piece of historiography, the book has justifiably been praised for its originality of scope and its judicious blend of synthesis and fresh research. Its comparative attention to the various "Britains" and "Irelands" within the Union makes it a particularly valuable resource for scholars interested in national consciousness, imperial ideology, and the varieties of religious nationalism, while the incorporation of fictional and non-fictional print culture seemed especially useful.